IRI, NPD join forces to launch Cross Channel tracking product.

* Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) and The NPD Group, Inc. are partnering to launch the Beauty Cross Channel Monitor, the U.S. beauty industry's first and only cross-channel retail tracking product.

The Beauty Cross Channel Monitor will provide insights for a wide range of beauty categories, including fragrance, cosmetics and skin care, from U.S. department stores, food, drug and mass outlets, excluding Wal-Mart. This new product was launched last month.

"The lack of beauty industry coverage has made it difficult to understand the size of the total beauty sales opportunity," says Steve Johnson, executive vice president, Healthcare & Personal Care, Client Solutions, IRI. "Our partnership with The NPD Group is such a winning combination, because it brings our clients the only total view of the beauty industry, which is desperately needed."

The new Beauty Cross Channel Monitor gives the beauty industry a broader understanding of market share for brands, categories and segments, according to IRI. Additionally, it provides a valuable resource to help discover what is driving trends in the U.S. beauty industry.

For the fragrance category, the tracking product covers juices, gift sets and ancillaries. Under cosmetics, insights for eye, face, lip, nail and sets/kits are available.

Finally, body, face, sets/kits, hair care and sun care are available in the skin care category.

This is the first time that there has been a combination of these channels in the U.S., giving the industry the most complete and comprehensive view of the beauty marketplace in a streamlined and timely manner. Similarly, IRI and NPD have joined IMS to offer a more complete view of the beauty marketplace in France.

The Multi-Outlet Beauty Study offers information on all distribution outlets in France: supermarkets, pharmacies, cosmetic and fragrance stores.